A Southland-owned vintage DC3 aeroplane will take to the skies this weekend, with scenic flights being offered from Te Anau.

Mark Oremland’s 1940s plane is one of the last operational DC3s in the country. DC3s were first introduced in the 1930s and by the end of the 1940s they had dominated the airline industry due to their versatility in transporting people and cargo as well as ease of flying. 

There were 10,655 DC3s built before, during and after World War II but only about 200 or 300 are still flying today.

Mr Oremland brought his plane to New Zealand from England seven years ago, following the 22,000km path taken by legendary Kiwi aviator Jean Batten – albeit at a more leisurely pace – as closely as modern day technical and political restraints allowed.

Jean Batten, from Rotorua, was just 23 when she became the first person to fly from England to New Zealand. Arriving 11 days and 45 minutes after her departure from Lympne, she landed in Auckland and her time was to remain a record for many years.

Mr Oremland had his own adventure finding, refitting and relocating the old plane, which he branded “Airscapade DC3”. His exploits were recorded in a television documentary “A Wing and a Prayer”.

His plan had been to locate the plane at the Te Anau Manapouri Airport and operate charters, scenic flights and possibly even some scheduled flights from there but the journey has not been without significant turbulence, largely due to the difficulty in maintaining such a historic aircraft and finding qualified pilots for it.

But fortunately, Mr Oremland has now managed to find several pilots who can fly the plane and he said this weekend's weather was going to be perfect conditions for scenic flights in the DC3. 

Mr Oremland said it was a stroke of luck when Te Anau’s Wings and Water owner Ivan Krippner helped him find pilots to fly the plane.

"He introduced me to some of his contacts who knew of pilots who could fly a DC3 and here we are."

"[Now] the weather and pilots have come to the party, so I thought why not offer the locals a chance to fly in the DC3 now we're out of [lockdown]," he said. 

The DC3 owner is planning on offering two options for scenic flights at this stage. 

A "shorter half-hour option" over Lake Te Anau and a "longer one-hour option," over Stewart Island.

Around 30 people have already expressed an interest in this weekend’s flights, and Mr Oremland said the number of flights offered would depend on how many people book in so he urged people to contact him prior to secure their spot. 

He said this would likely be the last opportunity that the public would have to fly in the DC3 until at least springtime, as the plane will be taken up to Blenheim for storage during the colder winter months.